Sophie+Peterson


 * SUMMARY: Sophie Peterson, age 34, died on November 30, 1926 after an abortion perpetrated in Chicago, likely by Dr. Frederick Springe.**

On October 27, 1926, 34-year-old Sophie T. Peterson underwent an illegal abortion in the Chicago office of Dr. Frederick Springe.

She was taken to Mercy Hospital, where she died on November 30.

Springe was indicted for felony murder by a grand jury on December 15.

Sophie's abortion was typical of illegal abortions in that it was performed by a physician.

Keep in mind that things that things we take for granted, like antibiotics and blood banks, were still in the future. For more about abortion in this era, see [|Abortion in the 1920s]. For more on pre-legalization abortion, see [|The Bad Old Days of Abortion] Source:


 * [|Homicide in Chicago Interactive]

include component="tagCloud"